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Batman
Bruce Wayne is known for his trademark grin and social goodwill, often hailed as "Gotham City's most eligible bachelor" or dismissed as a billionaire playboy. His reputation as a philanthropist tends to make up for his social eccentricities, which are infamous among the city's elite. Batman is a much less prominent figure, whom some outside Gotham still consider an urban legend. Those who live there, though, know the truth. Whether they believe he is the city's patron saint, their own personal demon, or just a nutjob of a nuisance, Batman is very real, and he has claimed Gotham City. Background The story begins, appropriately enough, with death. In an instant when death and conception were one. A pair of gunshots, a scattering of pearls and popcorn. Two good people, fallen still. A third died in that instant, and in him was conceived a new life. Stronger, darker, and driven. Bruce Wayne was born to Thomas and Martha Wayne in Gotham City, New Jersey. He had an idyllic childhood, loved by both parents with a beautiful home and even a butler to look after his every need. His education came from private tutors, and his playmates were the children of other wealthy socialites. Young "Brucie," as his parents called him, was a very happy boy. The first dark mark on his young life came when he feel into a chasm on his family's property, landing in a limestone cavern filled with bats. His father rescued him, but after that he harbored a subconscious fear of the nocturnal flying rodents. The second, even more profound change, came one night his parents took him to see The Mark of Zorro, which was a favorite of Thomas's, as a birthday treat. With his head still full of dashing, black-caped figures, swords, guns, and horses, young Bruce was tired and happy, his hand in his mother's, walking to where they'd parked the car. Then, abruptly, Bruce's mother had stopped, tightening her grip on his hand. He looked, noticing a man stepping out of a nearby alley. "Gimme money," the words struck young Bruce coldly. His father complied, handing over his wallet, but then the mugger reached for Martha's pearls. Perceiving this as an attack, Thomas moved to stop him. A shot rang out and Thomas went down, his watch cracking on the pavement and stopping at 10:47 PM. The strange man's hand closed on Martha's pearls, the strand breaking, and a second shot pierced the night. Bruce's mother fell beside her husband. The man ran off, and the police were soon on their way. But Bruce's final memory of that night would be that of standing over his parents, listening to a child screaming. He didn't then realize that it was he who was screaming. The killer, Joe Chill, was eventually caught and convicted by Bruce's testimony. The boy, though, had undergone a profound change. He no longer laughed and rarely smiled, no longer played with the other children. His guardian was Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler, and he found a surrogate mother figure in one Dr. Leslie Thompkins. It was they who helped him through the remainder of his youth, and who watched as he began his relentless pursuit of knowledge. At the age of fourteen, Bruce began his "walkabout," travelling the globe to learn everything he felt he would need to complete his newfound purpose. It began in prestigious European universities, Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and others, then moved on to more practical knowledge. He learned manhunting from Henri Ducard, ninjitsu from the wise ancient, Kirigi. African bushmen taught him tracking and survival, and Nepalese monks revealed secret healing arts. Each time, he had to prove himself to the keepers of this knowledge. He met every challenge, passed every test, and earned his right to know all he needed. Back in Gotham, society was abuzz with gossip over his long absence. "What a waste," the ladies would say. "That handsome young Wayne... can't stick with a single thing." "Not the man his father was... if it wasn't for his fortune, he'd be begging in the streets." Bruce's final test came from training under the assassin David Cain, from whom he learned much about killing. What Cain had not anticipated, though, was that Bruce wished to learn to counteract these techniques, not master them. When Bruce refused to kill, he and Cain parted ways on rather unpleasant terms. So Bruce wandered the globe, seeking that which he could use... not even then knowing what he would ever be able to use it for. He had not yet seen the shadow that was born as his parents died. Never knew his own secret. After the incident with Cain, Bruce felt he must return home. Somehow during his travels, the decision had solidified and his path was chosen. He never did know when it was revealed to him that he wished to fight crime, but he did know when he realized what Batman was to be. He was sitting in the library of his family mansion, staring out the window at the gathering twilight, when the window in front of him shattered, and a large bat flapped into the room. In that instant, Bruce understood. He said aloud, "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. I must become a creature of the night. I shall become a bat." It was at once the silliest and most profound thing he had ever spoken aloud. Realizing that his own great fear could be turned around, becoming his strength, he created his persona. And so, Batman was finally born. When he first donned the cloak and cowl of the Bat, he changed. As the physical mask touched his face, the emotional mask of Bruce Wayne fell away. The darkness within was finally revealed, not something to be feared, but a powerful force for good within him. Upon seeing this immediate, profound transformation, even the unrufflable and faithful butler Alfred was startled enough to utter the words, "My God!" as he finally understood what had become of his beloved Master Bruce. That night, Batman's war on crime began. It wasn't long before he achieved an understanding with the then-lieutenant of the Gotham City Police Department, James Gordon. As he battled criminals, his life as Bruce Wayne became only an act, an appearance he kept up for the sake of refuge. The war brought strange combatants, from the garishly insane Joker to the organized crime families of Gotham City. This life became a matter of routine, danger and detection, all part of the job. Then a boy named Dick Grayson entered his life, and Batman was forced to change again. Dick's parents had also been murdered, and in him Batman -- in his Bruce Wayne guise -- saw something of himself. So it was that Grayson became Wayne's adopted ward, publicly an act of charity. However, Batman had found more than a foster son. He had found a partner and protege, and not long after, Robin was born. For some years, Batman and Robin were a team. Robin was kept out of the more dangerous assignments at first, but eventually his natural acrobatic training gave him enough of an edge that he could keep up with his mentor. Together they tackled the worst Gotham City had to offer, until Robin was critically injured in the line of duty. Realizing just what danger the young man -- now in his late teens -- was constantly entering into, Batman called an end to the partnership. This caused a rift between himself and Dick, who would go on to forge his own identity as Nightwing, at first in outlying cities. Back in Gotham, Batman continued his quest as he ever had... once again flying alone. Years earlier, a boy named Jason Todd -- a bit younger than Dick -- had tried to steal the hubcaps off the Batmobile. As foolish as this was, Batman was impressed with the kid's guts. When he found out the boy had no parents, he put him up in a boarding school and funded his education. Jason found a role-model, and trained in athletics and martial arts. When he heard Robin had disappeared, he put on a makeshift costume and tried to take up the mantle himself. Batman confronted him, and Jason begged for a chance to prove himself. Finally, Batman relented. It was a decision he would come to deeply regret, for not two months later, Jason went missing after a run-in with some local hoodlums. After an exhaustive search, even Batman had to finally accept that Jason was dead. Somehow, he has never been quite the same since. On-Game History More recently, Batman has taken on a new protégé: Tim Drake, the third Robin. While reluctant at first to accept another partner after Jason Todd's death, Bruce has found Tim to be an invaluable asset as partner and ally. Bruce Wayne took Tim in after the boy's parents were killed, and has vowed that this time he will do right by his younger partner. During the "Rise of the Robots" storyline, the AI computer system HARDAC was controlled by Brainiac and used to create robotic duplicates of prominent Gothamites, among them a Batman replicant. Batman, Robin, and Catwoman teamed up to destroy HARDAC. Batman then brought the information which Robin had lifted from the computer back to the combined task force which would become the second JLA. It was Batman, Nightwing, and Robin who cleared the then-abandoned JLA Watchtower to be clear for use. Between Robin's urging that the League needed him and the threat of Brainiac, Batman agreed to Superman's request to join the Justice League and is now a member in good standing... though Gotham City remains his first priority. During the Brainiac debacle Batman came frequently into close contact with Catwoman, even as Bruce Wayne was beginning an extended flirtation with Selina Kyle. Batman being the detective he is, it did not take him too long to discover Catwoman's true identity... but she turned the tables on him by figuring out his in turn when Poison Ivy made her first appearance, attacking a charity event at Wayne Manor. Their identities out in the open, the pair remained unsteady allies with a certain attraction between them. The question of something more has remained, up to this point, unresolved. Batman assisted with the investigation of the strange pyramid which appeared in the sky over New York City during the Tournament of Tomorrow, and he was de-aged to ten years old during the subsequent Plague of Youth. He was active in seeking an explanation for the strange Plagues of Chaos, exploring the strange site on the Isla Corto Maltese where the ritual of the Tournament, which began the Plagues, culminated. When Damian Wayne, Bruce's genetically-engineered son, appeared in Gotham, Bruce watched him for a time and then met the boy after Tim brought him home to the manor. After learning of Damian's past and speaking with him at some length, Bruce decided that the best way for the kid to have a chance to live a better life and to have his skills turned in a positive direction would be to bring him into the fold. Alfred suggested the codename "Batboy," and it stuck, giving Damian an identity of his own so he wouldn't have to covet Robin's. With Damian brought into the "family," Bruce placed a good part of the responsibility of helping Damian adjust on Tim's shoulders, hoping that by calling Tim to play "big brother," it would help Tim to deal with the loss of his own family. Category:Characters Category:Features Category:Hero Category:Taken